Tomorrow is a big day.
First, all the shortlists for the 2018 Cybils awards will be announced. We’ll have more about that in our next post.
Plus, tomorrow is the beginning of a brand new year. Let’s celebrate with a picture book that has a great New Year’s message, Dream Big: A True Story of Courage and Determination by Dave McGillivray and Nancy Feehrer, and illustrated by Ron Himler.
When I was little, I was little.
Really little.
But my dreams? They were BIG.
So starts Dave McGillivray’s autobiographical picture book.
Dave really wanted to be an athlete, but his small size kept him out of many sports. But he didn’t let that stop him. On his twelfth birthday he started running. By the time he was 17, he decided to give the nearby Boston Marathon a try. The first year wasn’t the success he had hoped, but he has managed to run every Boston Marathon for the last 45 years. The best part is that not only is he a world-renowned athlete, but also he’s the race director.
Included in the back is a timeline of Dave’s first successful race, plus Dream Big activity suggestions (see more about that below).
Dave’s Dream Big attitude is infectious. Check out a copy and get inspired today!
Activity Suggestion:
To accompany the book, Dave McGillivray suggests running 26 miles, reading 26 books, and performing 26 acts of kindness all over over the span of 26 weeks. There’s a guide to download at his website.
Reading 26 books in a year is a good challenge, too.
Other Reading Challenges:
Reading challenges are great ways to discover new passions, learn new skills, and try new things. Just make sure the goals are enjoyable and reasonable.
Brightly has monthly reading challenges that are a fun mix of activities and suggested books at the bottom. Check out this one for January. (I’m thinking about doing some of these.)
Feed Your Fiction has a monster list of reading challenges, including some kidlit ones (scroll down).
Please let us know about any others.
Age Range: 7 – 12 years
Publisher: Nomad Press (March 1, 2018)
ISBN-10: 9781619306189
ISBN-13: 978-1619306189
ASIN: 1619306182
Disclosure: The book was provided by the publisher for review purposes. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.
Looking for more children’s nonfiction books? Try the Nonfiction Monday blog.